I find it laughable the strtch that some people will go to make "race" the issue instead of the issue itself. I was listening to Jim Rome yesterday and he played the snippet from the Monday Night Football game where the owner made the comment about Vick staying away from fried chicken, french fries etc. while in prison to keep in shape.

There were callers complaining that the fact he mentioned fried chicken and that Vick is black; he was taking a racial shot at him. Are we in a society where a white man cannot use "fried chicken" in a black mans diet without it being a racial slam?

"Doubled" sounds unlikely, max. The other guys who also got sentenced, all of whom had pleaded guilty before Vick and none of whom had financed the whole thing like he did, got at least 18 months each (I think) even though (as far as I know) none of them failed a drug test like Vick did. His sentence was pretty clearly going to be stiffer than theirs regardless of the drug test, but if that had led it to being doubled, it would mean he was going to get only 11 or 12 months, which doesn't seem the least bit likely.

Has anybody on this forum ever slammed a dog into the ground until it died? Or hung one with a noose? Or run an inter-state gambling operation with hundreds of thousands of dollars changing hands? Or pleaded guilty to tax evasion?

I guess if I did all that stuff, I'd be pretty relieved to get 23 months in jail.

No name people go to jail for tax evasion all the time (5-year max). And they definitely didn't get a job with their former employers when they got out.

Vick spit on the legal system
By Dan Wetzel, Yahoo! Sports
December 10, 2007

The failed drug test alone was inexplicable. Just 17 days after promising to avoid drugs and alcohol, Vick smoked marijuana. The next day he took a drug test, which he failed, and then lied to an investigator about taking drugs.

Then there were Vick's "deception" with federal authorities, at least six such acts according to U.S. Attorney Michael Gill, even after the suspended Atlanta Falcon had agreed to fully cooperate.

Vick, for instance, initially refused to admit he took part in the hanging of a dog. He claimed instead that he carried the underperforming dog over to co-conspirator Quanis Phillips, who then hung him. But Phillips had stated that Vick had carried the dog over and after Phillips slipped a noose around its neck, Vick let the dog drop.

"He denied having hands on involvement in killing the dogs," Gill said. "He made a false statement; it was a calculated effort to hide the truth."
Gill said Vick eventually admitted to killing two dogs, "one by drowning, one by hanging."

There was also a failed lie detector test which, while not admissible as evidence, obviously angered Gill who argued (successfully) against any leniency.

Vick's repeated performances were apparently so twisted, confusing and inconsistent that everyone wound up believing his codefendants over him, despite the fact they have lengthy criminal records.

"These statements are inconsistent with statements by his codefendants," Hudson ruled. "(Vick) hasn't demonstrated the necessary level of candor."

If Vick had fully cooperated, told the truth and kept clear of drugs, he could have received as little as 12 months, which with good behavior could have seen him free by next September.

Instead he got longer sentences than either of his two former partners (18 and 21 months) despite their prior records and direct responsibilities with Bad Newz Kennels.

Given every opportunity to make up for his dog-fighting crimes, to live up to his word, to prove to everyone that this was just a lapse in judgment of a good man, he did just about everything wrong.

Has anybody on this forum ever slammed a dog into the ground until it died? Or hung one with a noose? Or run an inter-state gambling operation with hundreds of thousands of dollars changing hands? Or pleaded guilty to tax evasion?

I guess if I did all that stuff, I'd be pretty relieved to get 23 months in jail.

No name people go to jail for tax evasion all the time (5-year max). And they definitely didn't get a job with their former employers when they got out.

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I have to agree. I'm sure that if I did any of these things, I would probably spend a few years in prison too.

I also don't think this would be less of a story if it were Payton Manning instead of Micheal Vick.

Has anybody on this forum ever slammed a dog into the ground until it died? Or hung one with a noose? Or run an inter-state gambling operation with hundreds of thousands of dollars changing hands? Or pleaded guilty to tax evasion?

I guess if I did all that stuff, I'd be pretty relieved to get 23 months in jail.

No name people go to jail for tax evasion all the time (5-year max). And they definitely didn't get a job with their former employers when they got out.

"Doubled" sounds unlikely, max. The other guys who also got sentenced, all of whom had pleaded guilty before Vick and none of whom had financed the whole thing like he did, got at least 18 months each (I think) even though (as far as I know) none of them failed a drug test like Vick did. His sentence was pretty clearly going to be stiffer than theirs regardless of the drug test, but if that had led it to being doubled, it would mean he was going to get only 11 or 12 months, which doesn't seem the least bit likely.

Click to expand...

I am only going by what I heard on the Jim Rome show. He said Vick worked out a deal to serve between 8-12 months ( minus 1 month served ). But the judge doubled it and took the high end of 24 months - 1 served given his recent conduct.

The guy ran an illegal gambling ring. I am sure at some point it dawned on him that he could get caught, kept doing it anyway.

With that. Once he pays his debt to society he should be free to do what he wants.

Vick should have faced a sentence of 12-18 months after accepting a plea deal to conspiracy charges in August and promising full cooperation, honesty and to "make better decisions."

Instead he made more bad ones, U.S. Attorneys claiming he failed to fully admit or take responsibility for his actions, practiced multiple counts of deception and tested positive for marijuana just weeks after promising the judge he'd avoid drugs.

Those mind-numbing mistakes not only sent his sentencing guidelines to 18-24 months, but played a part in Judge Henry Hudson's decision to lean on the high side and send him away for 23 months

I have read that it's unheard of for the Federal Government to get involved in a dog fighting case.

I also find it unusual that of the hundreds of athletes who have been implicated in the performance enhancing drug scandels, the only two who have been or are being prosecuted are Bonds and Jones (for purjury).

And while OJ is clearly a murderer, it is also clear that he was entrapped by the FBI in Vegas.

I think the moral of the story is, if you're a very high profile African-American, you'd better dot every I and cross every T in your personal and professional life, or you'll be prosecuted by the Federal Government.

I have read that it's unheard of for the Federal Government to get involved in a dog fighting case.

I also find it unusual that of the hundreds of athletes who have been implicated in the performance enhancing drug scandels, the only two who have been or are being prosecuted are Bonds and Jones (for purjury).

And while OJ is clearly a murderer, it is also clear that he was entrapped by the FBI in Vegas.

I think the moral of the story is, if you're a very high profile African-American, you'd better dot every I and cross every T in your personal and professional life, or you'll be prosecuted by the Federal Government.

I am only going by what I heard on the Jim Rome show. He said Vick worked out a deal to serve between 8-12 months ( minus 1 month served ). But the judge doubled it and took the high end of 24 months - 1 served given his recent conduct.

The guy ran an illegal gambling ring. I am sure at some point it dawned on him that he could get caught, kept doing it anyway.

With that. Once he pays his debt to society he should be free to do what he wants.

It is true to some degree. OJ aside, with the exception of maybe Pete Rose, most high profile Whites that get into trouble often have their escapades laughed off or forgotten about relatively quickly. But with individuals like Bonds and/or Vick, the general American public latches on and doesn't let go. No one has seen or heard from Dohnaghy and his scandal since the week Vick's story broke and if you bother to bring it up, you're quickly shushed into going back to the Vick story.

As far as public perception, media coverage, and complete voracity that prosecutors seem to have. The high profile Blacks have a lot more to worry about when it pertains to how their lives can turn out. If people vow to never forget or forgive you for what you've done, you may never get a second chance to do ANYTHING (even outside of sports) ever again.

Just listening to sports talk radio, I hear it all day. The overall anger and resentment towards Black athletes who have legal or personality issues is 5 fold that of what callers call in and rant about when it comes to a lot of non-Black athletes. (For example: You never hear terms like "thug" or "punk" tossed about unless it has to do with Black athletes.)